Facemask assemblies for night vision goggles generally consist of a headband assembly, strap assembly, neck pad assembly, and mount assembly. The headband assembly serves as the frame or foundation for the rest of the facemask assembly. The strap assembly serves to fasten the headband assembly to varying users' head sizes and shapes. The mount assembly serves to provide a means of mounting the night vision goggles to the facemask assembly as well as providing the positioning adjustments for aligning the night vision goggles to the user's line-of-sight.
Typical positioning adjustments provided by the mount assembly include fore/aft, line-of-sight tilt, vertical, and interpupillary distance (IPD). Another function provided by the mount assembly may be flip-up/flip-down or swing-away of the goggle mount. These functions allow the night vision goggles to be removed from the user's line-of-sight to a stowed position. This is necessary when the user needs to use his or her unaided vision.
Previous facemask assemblies did not provide the comfort or stability necessary for various night vision goggle operations as provided in embodiments of the present invention. For example, when worn for extended periods of time, previous facemask assemblies became very painful to various areas of users' heads due to, for instance, the location and type of padding and the configuration of the frame. Likewise, these previous facemask assemblies do not hold the night vision goggles in position for the user to use them properly during physical operations such as running, jumping, crawling and rolling.
Also, previous facemask assemblies did not provide proper night vision goggle positioning adjustments allowing the user to properly position the goggles in front of his or her eyes to maximize the benefit of the night vision goggles' field-of-view and eye relief. Previous facemask assemblies further did not provide a fold-away function allowing the facemask assembly to be folded into a compact shape for storage. Moreover, previous facemask assemblies did not provide a quick-release mechanism allowing the user to quickly remove the facemask assembly from his or her head. Finally, previous facemask assemblies mandated the use of a chin cup.